


I Feel the Burn (But I Don't Feel the Pain)

by shakespearespaz



Category: Revolution (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied or Off-stage Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-06
Updated: 2013-06-06
Packaged: 2017-12-14 03:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/831950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shakespearespaz/pseuds/shakespearespaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rachel comforts Nora when she's delivered from her torture. AU where Rachel stays with the main group.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Feel the Burn (But I Don't Feel the Pain)

When a successful Sanborn made his less than dramatic entrance and Nora was back with the Rebels, hidden and recovering in a safe hospital room in Atlanta, Rachel refused to let Miles see her. He was out with Charlie on reconnaissance as they unloaded her still unconscious from the back of the car.

Upon his return, Miles argued, tried to force Rachel out of his way. She was strong enough to match him and met his protests with an unrelenting punch.

That shut him up.

“She doesn’t need you right now,” Rachel growled at him, “She’s alive and you’ll wait until she asks for you.”

“How do you know how she feels—”

“Trust me,” she angrily cut him off, “I know.”

He stalked off, but listened to her, resigned to scavenging for information from his fellow rebels.

Rachel insisted that she help treat Nora’s wounds. She let the rebel’s amateur doctor do most of the work, but gave pointers about certain injuries, trying to remember from her patchy memory what Monroe had done to at least keep her alive after Strausser’s sessions. The problem was they had left Nora for dead. Her survival was less important to the Militia than Rachel’s had been.

The thought that Monroe was able to quantify a woman’s life that way ignited fury and guilt in her gut.

After the doctor had done the best she could, Rachel sat down on the bed next to Nora’s and waited for any sign of life.

Early in the dark hours before dawn, the battered woman stirred.

“Nora?” Rachel’s voice broke through the damp air as the lump under heavy blankets moaned.

“Mia…” Her voice was scratchy, confused.

“No,” she answered back, sorry that she could not be who Nora needed, “It’s Rachel.”

“Rachel…you were—you were with Monroe. We rescued you…”

Nora turned her head painfully to face the person she seemed to recognize, her brown eyes hazy in the candlelight.

“Sanborn rescued _you_ , Nora,” Rachel assured.

“I…” She trailed off, searching for a memory and words to put with it. “All I remember is pain.”

 Her voice gave out from dryness and Rachel hurried to unscrew a canteen. She helped Nora drink and waited patiently, ready to listen.

She wanted to help this woman lying before her, knew she was the one who could and should. But she lost any and all words of comfort she planned to say to the nightmares in her head as she watched Nora struggle in front of her.

“Bass let his soldiers…”

Nora’s wide eyes were watery as they mapped the shadows beyond Rachel’s still figure

“There was cold water and then them. They were warm.” Her voice was vacant; the words there but the emotions gone. “I couldn’t fight. I think I screamed.”

Rachel assembled the cold compress the doctor had left with her and pressed it gently to Nora’s sweaty forehead.

“I remember wearing white.”

Rachel drew in a shaky breath and swallowed the urge to flee. She needed to stay, to help, but the memory of Bass’ sick games pounded relentlessly in her head.

Hers had been blue.

“It isn’t your fault.” The answer was rote, but Rachel’s brow threatened to crease. “It-it isn’t our faults.”

“I-I told them, Rachel.” She swallowed and the tears started to come. “I told them Miles was in Atlanta and all about our plans—”

Rachel hushed the woman as she broke into sobs.

“We all—we all give in at a certain point.” It took Rachel a lot to find the answer inside her, to say what needed to be said, to be a mother again. “It doesn’t make us any weaker. Sometimes we have to try make things right again. That doesn’t mean we don’t try.”

Rachel smiled kindly at her, her own pain involuntarily seeded in the offer of comfort.

“Did you want to see Miles?” she asked.

Nora searched the woman’s face. Miles would be worried, she knew, but she didn’t know if she could tell him what she’d done yet. Rachel’s words had helped but the shame still clawed at her like a knife; she didn’t need him that night. The enigma waiting dedicated by her side knew more than Miles, had the capacity to help far more than him too.

Nora shook her head.

“Not now.”

“Think about something else,” Rachel coached her softly. She had no idea what to do except what she had done herself. “Tell me about Mia.”

“Mia?”

“You asked for her.”

Nora smiled.

“She’s my sister. After our parents died, I took care of her. She’s stubborn and nosy and probably thinks I’m the most self-righteous person in this country.” There was conflict and love in her voice. “But she would give up her life for me any day.”

Her face fell.

“She tried too.”

“What happened?” Rachel prompted quietly.

“We got separated and I guess when she finally caught up to me, I’d found a different family.”

“Maybe you’ll see her again one day.”

“Maybe.” Nora didn’t sound very hopeful.

“I found my daughter again,” Rachel reminded her. She didn’t mention that each day was a battle not to burn the few bridges they had left.

“And she’s a lot like you.”

Rachel hadn’t expected Nora to be the one to say the right thing.

“I don’t know if I want her to be like me,” she pondered with regret, “She hasn’t done the things I’ve done or suffered the way I have.”

The ‘yet’ hung in the air between them.

“I’m sorry,” Rachel muttered, mouth contorting to stop the flood of emotions, “I shouldn’t—That was—I’m not helping.”

She turned hastily to leave, but a hand appeared from under the blanket.

Nora wove her smaller, shaky fingers with Rachel’s.

“Stay. Please.”

Rachel did not let her go as she joined Nora on the bed.

They talked until Nora was exhausted. Rachel carefully untangled her hands and pulled the blanket up around the sleeping woman. She left her in peaceful slumber and disappeared into the dark of the complex with a mission.

Rachel didn’t visit Nora again.

When she could finally get out of bed, Nora asked Miles where she had gone. His eyes cast to the side as he told her in a low voice.

“She left with Aaron this afternoon. To turn the power back on. Said that she couldn’t let Monroe ruin the life of anyone else.”

“Well, then we go after her and help.”

“Nora, it’s a suicidal mission.”

“I don’t care. She’s probably in danger and will need our help.” Miles knew from the edge in her voice not to argue.

They had the amplifier transferred and the next morning the helicopter lifted off the ground with the rising sun.

**Author's Note:**

> I started this back when I first saw the WonderCon preview, when I was irritated that they were going to torture Nora too. I figured with such similar experiences, these two have way more to talk about than just Miles. Coming off the finale, I think if the circumstances were different, Rachel and Nora have many reasons to help each other.


End file.
